hooklinebooks Chapter 16 The Industrialization and Process-Oriented Approach to Filmmaking Starts with Me!
Chapter 16 The Industrialization and Process-Oriented Approach to Filmmaking Starts with Me!
Anyway, Gu Yuhan never expected to make money from this film company; it was purely to make it easier for him to pick up girls.
However, since they had made up their minds to invest in the film and television industry...
Gu Yuhan still made a point of taking some time to meet with these seven guys, and they naturally treated Gu Yuhan, the young master, with utmost respect.
Among this group was Zeng Zhiwei, whose reputation had never been good, mainly because of the Lan Jieying incident. However, now that he was in Gu Yuhan's hands, Gu Yuhan had a hundred ways to deal with him.
If anyone dares to touch the woman he has his eye on, Gu Yuhan guarantees that he will be reborn as a eunuch in his next life.
"You're all in charge of filming the movie. If you have any good ideas, let's discuss them together. Right now, you just need to focus on making a good movie!"
At this point, Gu Yuhan smiled and slowly said, "Just tell me what resources you need. You're all part of my founding team, and I'll give you a share of the profits. As long as the project makes money, you'll naturally get a piece of the pie too!"
"Don't worry, boss!" Megan was the first to step forward and declare, "It's rare for the boss to trust us so much; we will definitely not let him down!"
"That's for the best!"
Gu Yuhan smiled and said, "I think you've all read the company's rules and regulations. However, there are three points I want to emphasize again. First, no one is allowed to harass the company's female artists. This is an ironclad rule that no one can violate. Second, don't even think about taking company money. What I give you is what you deserve. Don't even consider taking anything that's not yours. If you have gambling debts, tell me immediately, and I will definitely help you settle them if I can. Third, if the company doesn't have any projects for the time being and you want to film for other companies, you must inform them in advance. I won't stop you from making money, but I don't want you to treat the company like fools!"
At this point, Gu Yuhan smiled and continued, "You can look at the other rules and regulations yourself; I won't go into detail. Not only do you have to abide by them, but all actors who join the company must also follow them!"
Everyone nodded quickly. Just then, Su Rongrong walked up to Gu Yuhan and whispered, "Boss, we've made contact with Rosamund Kwan and Sai Fung. They're outside right now. Would you like to meet them?"
"Okay, I understand!"
Gu Yuhan smiled, then stood up: "You can discuss any problems you have yourselves, or you can study the script more carefully to see if you can polish it into a better work. I have something to do, so I'll go out for a bit!"
After saying that, Gu Yuhan stood up and walked straight out. After Gu Yuhan left...
The seven future core figures of Cinema City looked at each other, bewildered.
After a long pause, McGregor finally spoke, somewhat puzzled, "I didn't expect the company to have so many rules?"
Huang Baiming took a deep breath and slowly said, "Have you noticed that all the other company regulations clearly state the punishment standards, except for these three?"
Xu Ke, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but ask, "So, what does the boss mean by this?"
"What else could it mean?" Shi Nansheng said calmly from the side, "The meaning couldn't be clearer: if anyone dares to violate these three rules, the boss will definitely deal with you with even harsher measures!"
The group fell silent. Shi Tian cautiously added, "I heard the boss's family has connections to organized crime, and they have quite a few people working for him!"
For a moment, everyone felt like they had been tricked.
"Alright, alright!" Huang Baiming broke the silence. "Didn't everyone know what was going on before? The reason we were willing to come was because the boss promised us ample funding, dividends, and such good treatment, right? I think the boss is a trustworthy person!"
"What if he doesn't give it to us then?" Mecca suddenly asked.
Huang Baiming was also taken aback for a moment before slowly saying, "I don't think the boss will go back on his word. Let's finish filming the first movie first!"
……
……
Gu Yuhan was naturally unaware of what the Seven Eccentrics of Art City were secretly plotting.
However, one thing is very clear to Gu Yuhan: once you're on my boat, there's no way you can get off.
He was now eagerly anticipating meeting the two beauties, Rosamund Kwan and Moon Lee.
Rosamund Kwan was born in 1962 and just turned sixteen this year.
Li Saifeng was born in 1965 and is only thirteen years old this year, just a little bit older than Wen Bixia.
However, getting them to make movies wouldn't be a problem.
Anyway, "Happy Ghost" was originally a low-budget comedy film, and Gu Yuhan had planned to cast these three girls in it anyway. In short, let's sign them first.
The girls are still young; they can be nurtured gradually.
"Young Master Yu, hello!"
When Rosamund Kwan saw Gu Yuhan, her eyes lit up immediately, and she was filled with anticipation for this young tycoon.
Her mother, Zhang Bingqian, was an actress with Great Wall and Shaw Brothers film companies, and her father, Guan Shan, was also a well-known actor who won the Best Actor Award at the 11th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland in 1958, becoming the first Chinese person to receive the award.
However, despite her family background, her family was not particularly wealthy.
Moreover, Shaw Brothers was known for its frugality. Although her family was relatively well-off, Rosamund Kwan had a strong desire for money since childhood.
In her view, only money can bring her a true sense of security.
She was particularly attracted to young and wealthy scions like Gu Yuhan.
"Please sit down!"
Gu Yuhan was genuinely hesitant to do it, as both Guan Zhilin and Li Saifeng were too young, making him somewhat reluctant.
However, that didn't stop him from appreciating it properly.
Although they are not yet adults, it is already clear that they are all beauties in the making, especially Rosamund Kwan, whose eyes and brows already hint at the charm and allure she will have in the future.
"I've called you here today to sign a contract!"
Gu Yuhan smiled and calmly said, "I'd like to invite you to play the female lead in my new movie. I wonder if you'd be interested?"
Li Saifeng nodded slightly. She was still a little confused and didn't know how she got here.
A talent scout found her on the street, asked her if she was interested in being a movie lead actress, and then, somewhat confused, went home with her. And then, she ended up sitting here.
Upon learning that the young man in front of her was a billionaire, Li Saifeng became very nervous.
They didn't even dare to say a word.
In contrast, Rosamund Kwan seemed much more generous.
"Young Master Yu, what do you usually like to eat?" Rosamund Kwan asked Gu Yuhan with bright eyes.
"I like so many things to eat!" Gu Yuhan smiled. "Let's talk about work first. This movie will be filmed during your summer vacation. After summer vacation, you'll go back to school. As for what I like to eat? How about I take you to eat something later?"
"Okay, okay!" Rosamund Kwan nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice.
Gu Yuhan smiled and asked, "So, are you willing to sign a contract?"
As he spoke, Gu Yuhan pushed the contract in his hand in front of Guan Zhilin: "I want to sign a ten-year contract with you. After ten years, I have the right of first refusal to renew. Here are the contents of the contract, please take a look!"
After successfully persuading the two young girls to sign the contract.
Gu Yuhan then had Wen Bixia called over, and then took the three girls out for a meal by car.
The top-tier luxury hotel overlooking the entire Victoria Harbour truly opened the eyes of the three girls, who stared wide-eyed, hardly believing what they were seeing.
Of the three, Li Saifeng probably came from the best family, but she had never dined in such a luxurious place before, and was quite flattered.
In addition to treating them to a meal, Gu Yuhan also bought each of them a new set of clothes.
This moved Wen Bixia to tears; it was the first time in her life she had ever worn new clothes. After the three girls got to know each other, they quickly began chatting animatedly.
Several people were chatting away.
Both Rosamund Kwan and Ip Man had an infinite desire for wealth in their eyes.
People always crave what they lack most. In comparison, Li Saifeng also longed for it, but her family was relatively better off.
Therefore, she did not act in a way that was deliberately ingratiating.
Gu Yuhan didn't plan to have them immediately get involved in high-intensity filming; he just wanted them to take on some work during the summer vacation.
Anyway, a ten-year contract has already been signed.
At that time, the oldest member, Rosamund Kwan, will only be twenty-six years old.
Ten years from now, the Gu family's wealth will definitely increase more than tenfold. Who will be able to compare with them then?
After dinner, Gu Yuhan took the three girls back to their accommodation.
Gu Yuhan had bought this house a long time ago.
It has an area of 90 square meters.
In addition to the house, Gu Yuhan also hired a nanny to take care of the three girls' daily lives.
As for villas, now is not the time.
We shouldn't spoil them too much. We should give them good things little by little, so as not to give them too much at once and make them arrogant and spoiled.
During this period, in addition to keeping an eye on the people at Cinema City, Gu Yuhan was also secretly looking for some excellent agents.
In Hong Kong today, the agent system has not received enough attention.
However, as a time traveler, Gu Yuhan was very clear about the importance of agents, and the Oriental Entertainment he founded was determined to follow the professional agent route.
As for the candidates, Gu Yuhan already had a few targets in mind.
The first one is Florence Chan. She can be said to have witnessed the rise and fall of the entire Hong Kong film and television industry. She is a recognized top agent in the Hong Kong circle and is respectfully called Mrs. Chan. She has made stars of Cheung Kwok-jung, Anita Mui, Cheung Suet-yau, and many other stars such as Lydia Shum and Chan Chung-ling.
Another one is Chan Ka-ying. As a professional manager, she has only managed three artists in her life: the first was Chan Pak-kwong, then Princess Consort, and after Princess Consort retired, she signed Chan Yat-sun.
Chan Ka-ying is a true strong woman. Not only can she help artists reach the peak of their careers, but she is also very considerate and thoughtful in private. Artists affectionately call her "Mom".
Let's settle on these two for now.
In addition, Gu Yuhan was also inquiring about an actor, Zhou Xingchi.
Once we find him, we'll sign him immediately.
……
……
Soon, filming for "Happy Ghost" officially began.
The entire film "Happy Ghost" tells a story that takes place in the Qing Dynasty.
The scholar Zhu Jinchun failed the imperial examination more than ten times in a row. This not only angered his elderly father to death, but also drove away his wife. In despair, he hanged himself in a temple. As a result, he could not be reincarnated after death, and his soul was attached to the hemp rope he used to hang himself.
Time flies, and it's now the 1980s. Three high school girls from Hong Kong, Lin Xiaohua, Lin Jingjing, and Yan Ruyu, encounter a storm on their summer vacation trip. To escape the rain, they break into the temple where Zhu Xiucai committed suicide. After the rain stops, Lin Jingjing, in a panic, takes the hemp rope that is attached to Zhu Xiucai's soul back to the dormitory, which leads to a series of hilarious and absurd events.
Later, as their relationship deepened, they gradually became close friends with Zhu Xiucai, sharing everything and finding their own direction in life through each other's encouragement. Of course, this process led to many humorous situations.
This film was originally intended to be Huang Baiming's representative work, and it was originally scheduled to be filmed in 1984.
However, Gu Yuhan has now moved it to 1978.
The script was written by Gu Yuhan himself. After his rebirth, his memory became exceptionally amazing, and he could remember almost every movie he had ever seen.
Therefore, writing the script was naturally effortless.
Basically, no major adjustments or modifications are needed; just hand it over to Huang Baiming and let him film it.
He could even draw detailed storyboards if Gu Yuhan wanted to.
However, that would be completely unnecessary.
Gu Yuhan knew nothing about filmmaking, but he was very good at management, so he let Huang Baiming focus on filming while he was responsible for setting up the entire project process.
Research how to maximize the mobilization and utilization of resources during the filming process.
He considered every aspect, from location scouting before filming began to distributing boxed meals during filming.
During the filming process, Gu Yuhan also made a special request: to arrange for dedicated staff to record in detail all the problems encountered during filming and their corresponding solutions.
Once the script is finalized, some adjustments and modifications can be made to the details, but the core plot must not be changed.
Everyone has a clear division of labor and performs their duties.
Once all these statistics are compiled and organized, we can follow this process when making movies in the future, and if we encounter similar problems again, we can simply refer to the previous records.
In short, the goal is to achieve uniformity, standardization, and industrialization in film production.
Throughout the filming process, Gu Yuhan rarely interfered with the specific work of the director, actors, lighting crew, and script supervisor, but he was very strict in other aspects.
This initially made Huang Baiming feel somewhat uncomfortable.
But soon he was surprised to find that the entire filming process went exceptionally smoothly. From the preparation and use of props to the catering arrangements for the actors and extras, everything was arranged in an orderly manner.
He only needs to focus on the presentation of the shots and how to direct the actors. Of course, he is both the director and the lead actor, and he also needs to perform many scenes himself.
As a result, the entire film was successfully completed in less than a month.
Then, Huang Baiming carefully showed the edited video to Gu Yuhan. Everyone else present burst into laughter, bending over backwards, but Gu Yuhan remained expressionless and even yawned.
"Boss, is there something wrong with the filming?" Huang Baiming asked nervously.
"Not bad, pretty good!" Gu Yuhan shrugged and replied casually.